Southern Region Navy Section Chiefs Gather

BYLINE2:Story/photo by U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Public Affairs

U.S. Navy Section Chiefs from 14 Caribbean, Central and South American countries, and senior representatives from nine U.S. commands met in Mayport Jan. 24-26 to discuss U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Maritime Security Cooperation.

Navy Section Chiefs represent the U.S. Navy with their respective Military Group (MILGP) at U.S. Embassies around the world. A MILGP's mission is to effectively manage all security assistance programs in its country, is responsible to the combatant commander, and falls under the authority of the Chief of Mission at the Embassy. MILGPs work with partner nations, assisting in Foreign Military Sales, International Military Education and Training, transfer of Excess Defense Articles, Foreign Military Financing, and any other Theater Security Cooperation activities.

U.S. Navy Section Chiefs from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago gathered here for a three day conference to discuss Southern Region priorities.

''The Navy Section Chief conference is unique to Naval Forces Southern Command, and has been endorsed by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Southern Command,'' said Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Rear Adm. James W. Stevenson Jr. ''It serves as the touchstone event to unify Navy interests in the region. We focus on the goals and challenges of each nation's navy within the Southern Region. These discussions set the tone for our continued efforts this year as we execute a very aggressive and productive plan. Most importantly, our efforts will align U.S. Navy efforts to support U.S. Southern Command priorities in Security Cooperation.''

The Southern Region in-cludes nations and water south of Mexico; the waters adjacent to Central and South America; the Caribbean Sea, its 12 island nations and European territories; the Gulf of Mexico; and a portion of the Atlantic Ocean. It encompasses 32 countries and covers roughly 15.6 million square miles. The region represents about one-sixth of the landmass of the world assigned to regional unified commands.

U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command is the U.S. Navy Component Commander for U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). NAVSO directs U.S. naval forces and interacts with Southern Region nations to shape the maritime environment.

''Along with the Navy Section Chiefs, representatives from the Chief of Naval Operation's staff, Naval Oceanographic Office, Navy International Programs Office, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and more participated,'' Stevenson continued.

Cmdr. Andy Merrill, Navy Section Chief in Chile, said of the conference, ''This gives me a chance to maintain my perspective on the long-range Navy plan in the region from senior leadership; it is easy to get busy with day-to-day events and lose this broad view. Even more beneficial is meeting personally with my counterparts across the region: sharing ideas, talking in general terms and seeing where the conversation goes. It really helps me to understand the issues.''

Amilcar Padilla, who works at NAVSO, and helped put the conference together, said, ''Getting everyone together in one location is extremely valuable. When you look at the broad spectrum of U.S. Navy cooperation with Latin American navies, and the close ties we have with our partner nations, face-to-face meetings are essential to focusing our efforts and gaining synergy in what we achieve.''